Menelaus (Earth-616)
| Aliases = Menalaos | Identity = No Dual | Affiliation = Sparta, Argives, Agamemnon, Lon Crag | Relatives = Agamemnon (brother); Helen (wife); unnamed child; Atreus (father); Tyndareus (father-in-law); unnamed grandfather | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Sparta, Greece; formerly besieging Troy; Egypt | Gender = Male | Height = | Weight = | Eyes = | Hair = Black | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = Spartan | MaritalStatus = Married | Occupation = King of Sparta | Education = | Origin = Human | PlaceOfBirth = | Creators = Melville Henry; Jack Alderman | First = U.S.A. Comics #5 | Last = | HistoryText = Early Years Menelaus also spelled Menalaos was the son of Atreus, the grim King of Sparta, and the brother of Agamemnon, High King of the Argives and King of Mycenae. By 1240 BC, when many Argive (Greek) princes asked for Helen's hand, her father Tyndareus had them all swear loyalty to the one she would choose for her mate. Helen then chose Menelaus as such, and they had a child. Trojan War Helen's rapt One day, Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, came to Sparta's court, having been secretly promised by Aphrodite the hand of Helen. As Menelaus was called away, summoned to Crete by his grandsire, Aphrodite caused Helen to become smitten with Paris, and brought her and her dowry, great treasures, to Menelaus back to Troy. Assembling the Achaean army Iris, messenger of Zeus, soon came to Menelaus and informed him of the treachery. He returned home and sought out Agamemnon, and both decided to gather all leaders of Achaea, sail to Troy and demand return of both Helen and the treasure, or the city would face assault from them. Along with Palamedes and Agamemnon, they sought Odysseus from Ithaca (which they had to trick him to force him to sail with us, as he played mad to avoid the Trojan War and the fate promised to him by the prophecy), Diomedes of Argos and Agamemnon, among others, agreed to fulfill their oath of loyalty. Under Agamemnon's leadership, the Argives set sail for Aulis. Achilles was also recruited, being the mightiest of the Achaean warriors. Menelaus and Agamemnon soon heard Calchas's omen that the war would last for ten years. Sailing to Troy Sailing to Troy, they crossed the Aegean Sea but reached Teuthrania, in southern Mysia. The Argives sacked it, thinking it was Troy. They then sailed out once again, but a Hera-sent storm scattered the Achaean army, and they finally came back to Aulis. There, during a hunting trip, Agamemnon boasted about his feats, causing the anger of Artemis, who expressed her wrath upon the fleet and preventing it from sailing away by invoking a storm upon Aulis. Calchas soon prophetized that Artemis would be appeased by the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon sent a message to his wife Clytemnestra to trick her to bring Iphigenia to Aulis, allegedly to marry her to Achilles. Menelaus soon regretted to have let his brother sent the message, but Agamemnon was now compelled by his army to sacrifice his daughter. The sacrifice done, the Achaeans crossed the sea, and while the army stopped at Tenedos (where Philoctetes was left behind due to a snake bite), Agamemnon sent Menelaus, Odysseus and Palamedes to Illium, and demanded that Priam would return Helen and the treasure stolen along with her. As Priam refused, war began. War The Achaeans assaulted Troy's beach, and the Trojans retreated after Achilles slew Cycnus, son of Poseidon, and thus the siege of Troy was set. For nine years, the Achaeans kept on the siege of the city, with rare battles against Troy and its allies. Last year of the War After nine years of siege, Menelaus and Paris fought in single combat to decide the issue of the war. Paris was easily bested, but while Menelaus was dragging him to the Argives' lines, Aphrodite intervened, rendering him invisible and returning him to Troy. Nevertheless, Agamemnon declared Menelaus victorious, whose verdict was confirmed by Priam. As they were preparing for peace, the factions and their gods plotted. Athena (wishing to see Troy destroyed) descended upon the besieged city and influenced Troy ally Pandarus of Lycia to shot at Menelaus while he stood next to the city's walls. The arrow was deflected by Thor, but the attempt led Agamemnon to refuse any truce and to declare the destruction of Troy as the only issue of the war. After Achilles was killed at the Scaean Gates, Menelaus and Agamemnon grieved for him along with Achilles' mentor Old Phoenix. On Achilles's funeral, he listened as the son of Peleus' mother Thetis gave her son's Hephaestus-forged armor to the one who rescued his body from the Trojans (though Ajax was the one to do, Odysseus was awarded the price as he had guarded Ajax's retreat). Informed of his role in Troy fall by Priam's seer son Helenus, Odysseus retrieved Philoctetes on Tenedos, and the next day, he used the Box of Heracles to slay Paris. As Menelaus rushed to dismember his rival's body, Philoctetes took him away and let the Trojans recover him. Then Odysseus and Diomedes went for Achilles' son. Menelaus was astonished to witness the full-grown Achilles-like Neoptolemus, who had aged quickly thanks to his godly lineage. Based on an Athena-sent vision to Epelus, and turned into a trick by Odysseus, (with Loki Laufeyson's help), the Achaeans built a massive hollow wooden horse. A few warriors, including Menelaus, Odysseus, Diomedes and Anticlus entered it, and the others set fire to the camps and set sail. Sinon was left behind to say to the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena. Once the Trojans had feasted their apparent victory, Sinon alerted the Argives' fleet to return, and informed the warriors in the horse to come out. They slew the guards and opened the gates to the Achaean army who started rampaging the city. Along with Neoptolemus and Diomedes, Menelaus rushed through the palace, deserted from Priam. Neoptolemus slew Priam's sons Pammon, Polites and Antiphonus, then, soon afterwards, Priam himself, while Menelaus went to Helen's boudoir, where he promptly killed her new husband and Priam's son Deiphobus. Intending to slew Helen as well, Menelaus stopped as she stood proudly in front of him. He next decided that for all the Achaeans' suffering, it would be a shame to kill her, and declared the sin to be only of Paris and Priam. After the war As her temple had been desecrated during the night by Ajax the Lesser, Athena herself caused a between Agamemnon, who wished to remain to appease Athena, Menelaus pushed to leave as soon as possible as the Achaeans were eager to leave. Menelaus finally decided to set sail no matter his brother's choice, who remain to sacrifice to Athena. Menelaus' fleet was decimated by Athena, save for five ships, and he and Helen took refuge in Egypt. In time, they would reach Sparta, helped by the Sea-God Proteus, and along with Helen, ruled for many years, in prosperity and peace. Most of that story was written about in Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. ---- Modern Days In 1942, his spirit apparently materialized before American art student Lon Crag and found the boy worthy of owning great power. He told the lad that upon reciting the word "Illium" (the antique name for the city of Troy) he would be endowed with the "wisdom of Ulysses", "Battle prowess of Agamemnon" and the "Invulnerability of Achilles". Lon used these powers briefly as the hero known as Roko the Amazing. | Powers = As a spirit, Menalaos could endow the "wisdom of Ulysses", "Battle prowess of Agamemnon" and the "Invulnerability of Achilles" to an individual of his choice. The individual could access these abilities by shouting the word "Illium". | Abilities = | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = Helmet and armor | Transportation = | Weapons = Sword, spear, round shield | Notes = * The actual name of this character in Greek mythology is "Menelaos": ** He was named "Menalaos" in . ** He is known in Latin as "Menelaus", the name used in . * Menelaus was called "son of Tydeus" in , seemingly mistakenly; ** His brother Agamemnon was already established as the son of Atreus in ** In the myth, Tydeus is the father of Diomedes. | Trivia = | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = }} Category:Power Bestowal Category:Trojan War Characters Category:Atreus Family Category:Spartan Royal Family Category:Mythological Figures Category:Spartan Monarchs